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Well Salty Dog, don't know how long you've been out, but I've only been retired for a little over 10 years, and things haven't changed that much, just the sports. I've seen Friday night smokers during my 20+ years, and recently ('95) we had a rugby team on our ship that fought everyone in the Pacific area, and the key words are rugby and fought. When the injuries got so bad the Old Man said no more rugby games, the troops (and officers) still played and got into quite a bit of trouble. That's the same moxie you see in the photo, and it's the same moxie the Navy has today, the ships change, the sailors get smarter but stay the same on the inside: look at the Samuel B. Roberts or the Cole, that's moxie. Fleet on.

Although the hats are different, the dress blues were much the same as when I was in the Navy. (13 button bell-bottoms with the tie in the back, same dress jersey with flap and neckerchief.) I was wondering though if anyone can identify what they are wearing around their necks. Could those be hand-made rope "chains" with boatswain whistles on the end (stuffed in their pockets)?

I was a boilerman, and they didn't let me stick my head out above decks.

Shorpy.com | History in HD is a vintage photo blog featuring thousands of high-definition images from the 1850s to 1950s. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago.